A Maine man faces up to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of using the identity of his dead infant brother to obtain passports and collect social security benefits.
Napoleon Gonzalez, 86, of Etna was found guilty of identity theft, passport fraud and social security fraud last week, according to the Maine Attorney General’s Office. Napoleon Gonzalez had been using the identity of his brother, Guillermo Gonzalez since at least the mid 1960s, officials said. Guillermo Gonzalez died as an infant in 1939,
Using his brother’s identity, Napoleon Gonzalez filed for a Social Security number in 1981 and has used it to collect retirement benefits since 2001. He also used his brother’s identity to obtain passports, most recently to travel to Canada in 2018.
Napoleon Gonzalez continued to collect multiple social security payments until March 2020, when authorities began investigating the benefits being paid to the deceased Gonzalez.
In court, Napoleon Gonzalez claimed the Air Force Office of Special Investigations had directed him to use his brother’s identity.
Napoleon Gonzalez faces up to 20 years in prison for mail fraud, 15 years for identity theft, 10 years for passport fraud and five years for Social Security fraud. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000.